Latest 9999 counts dmm released! AN8009 for $24 now!

[Statik]

Hi all,
Joined the EEVBlog as I see this is where all the great discussion is happening. Found Dave's videos while working on a Senior Electrical Engineering Design project this fall. Been slowly working through the vlogs.
I've been working on a collection of inexpensive hardware for my home lab and I bought the AN8009 on preorder from Banggood.com. This is my review:
https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=Krjh0m2rZfc

I'd also be interested in hacking my meter to change the timeout feature and perhaps change the capacitors as mentioned in the AN8008 thread to reduce the noise.
Rod

[bitseeker]

Welcome to the forum, Rod. Thanks for sharing your video. Note that to view it, you'll need to share the publicly accessible URL rather than your logged in one that attempts to edit the page.

Code: [Select]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krjh0m2rZfc

[Statik]

I'm always struggling to find the correct link. If I click on the video, I often end up with an extra view, which I'm trying to avoid.

On the subject of the meter, I just finished reading the 8008 meter thread, and I'm hoping to add some of the tests and mods listed in that thread to my 8009 to see if I can make it even better.

Rod

[bitseeker]

One way to do it is take the video ID from the edit page URL: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=Krjh0m2rZfc

Then, put it on the end of this URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

Happy modding!

[MWisBest]

Has anybody tried modding one of these multimeters (including the previous AN8002 and AN8008) to use a different fuse? I saw a few people mention it but that's it. These little 3.6x10mm fuses bother me. Seems like a 5x15mm (2AG) fuse would fit in the existing spots on the PCB with minor lead-bending on some 5mm clips... I'm thinking a Littelfuse 0208010 fuse in either 01000020Z or 01110005MR clips. Higher voltage and interrupt rating than the dinky 3.6x10mm fuses at least. Would be really nice to fit a 5x20mm in there but I don't think that's realistic unless you go panel-mount, which is sketchy. Any other ideas?

[floobydust]

The problem is the fuse has to be physically long for a high interrupt rating, >1.25"/35mm long.
What you see in "real" multimeters are 1,000V-rated with high current interrupt 10kA or 20kA.

What is the required interrupt voltage/current rating for these chinese multimeters with fake 61010 approvals?
If you derated the meter's use to say 250VAC, then you can use smaller fuses like 5x20mm. Pigtail fuses- replacing them requires soldering. Yuck.

I think people are flipping around the PCB fuse-clips, to get the holder to take the longer fuse.

[GreyWoolfe]

My AN8009 just arrived today.  Checked it out and it works, for my needs, the same as the AN8008, which is just right.  Both are right now in my company van, one to use, the other as a spare.  I really like the small size.  It fits just right in my toolbag without taking up much room.  I recommended the AN8008 to my fellow techs and I would recommend the AN8009, as long as they also got a set of Frankie's Brymen leads.

[MWisBest]

The problem is the fuse has to be physically long for a high interrupt rating, >1.25"/35mm long.
What you see in "real" multimeters are 1,000V-rated with high current interrupt 10kA or 20kA.

Yes, I'm aware the big boys are using 10x38mm fuses. I don't expect to magically turn this thing into a Fluke. It is what it is.

What is the required interrupt voltage/current rating for these chinese multimeters with fake 61010 approvals?
If you derated the meter's use to say 250VAC, then you can use smaller fuses like 5x20mm.

Yeah I don't plan on using this any higher than 250VAC, I just don't trust the dinky little things in there, period. I'm well aware any claimed ratings on these things are bunk.

Pigtail fuses- replacing them requires soldering. Yuck.

Agreed, the only reason I linked that pigtail 5x15mm is nobody stocks the non-pigtail version. They're exactly the same, was just going to cut the leads off.

I think people are flipping around the PCB fuse-clips, to get the holder to take the longer fuse.

What do you mean by flipping them around? I can't really picture that. You've got the case screw on one side and the resistors on the other, seems like quite a squeeze either direction, and the top case sits too close to the PCB to put it on that side of the board.

[Fungus]

The problem is the fuse has to be physically long for a high interrupt rating, >1.25"/35mm long.

Hence fuses like this in really safe multimeters:

(that's not a fuse, this is a fuse...)

It's inside a CAT IV 1000V meter in case you're wondering, one of the very few meters with that rating.

[Calambres]

I recommended the AN8008 to my fellow techs and I would recommend the AN8009, as long as they also got a set of Frankie's Brymen leads.

Can you be a little more specific about those leads?

[Fungus]

I recommended the AN8008 to my fellow techs and I would recommend the AN8009, as long as they also got a set of Frankie's Brymen leads.

Can you be a little more specific about those leads?

http://stores.ebay.com/99centhobbies/

[Mr. Scram]

Can you be a little more specific about those leads?

Even more specific:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Brymen-Silicone-Gold-Plated-Test-Leads-Probes-for-Multimeters-CAT-IV-1000V-/171162377470

[Calambres]

Thanks 

[GreyWoolfe]

I recommended the AN8008 to my fellow techs and I would recommend the AN8009, as long as they also got a set of Frankie's Brymen leads.

Can you be a little more specific about those leads?

I see that others have supplied the link.  These are very nice leads.  The wires are silicone and very supple.  The probe ends feel good in hand.  I really like them.  I have 4 pairs now and will probably get a few more.  My plan is to get rid of all my other leads and just use the Brymen.  I will have to cut the shrouds off at least 1 pair for my HP 3466A meters as they don't use shrouded banana jacks, but probably only 1 pair as I won't be using both meters at the same time.

[floobydust]

I think people are flipping around the PCB fuse-clips, to get the holder to take the longer fuse.

What do you mean by flipping them around? I can't really picture that. You've got the case screw on one side and the resistors on the other, seems like quite a squeeze either direction, and the top case sits too close to the PCB to put it on that side of the board.

I haven't tried it, and probably full of it but removing the stock fuse clips, and move them apart, soldering in just one (inside) pin. Cut the outside pin and insulate underneath.
There is no elegant way to put better fuses in these, no room and even with a perfect HRC fuse the PCB traces and creepage/clearances are not there to prevent arcing across the fuse's connections or to something else.

[Fungus]

I think people are flipping around the PCB fuse-clips, to get the holder to take the longer fuse.

What do you mean by flipping them around? I can't really picture that. You've got the case screw on one side and the resistors on the other, seems like quite a squeeze either direction, and the top case sits too close to the PCB to put it on that side of the board.

I haven't tried it, and probably full of it but removing the stock fuse clips, and move them apart, soldering in just one (inside) pin. Cut the outside pin and insulate underneath.
There is no elegant way to put better fuses in these, no room and even with a perfect HRC fuse the PCB traces and creepage/clearances are not there to prevent arcing across the fuse's connections or to something else.

I think people are doing it mostly so it will take easy-to-find standard size fuses, not to gain safety.

(at least I hope so)

[electricMN]

You need to be very patient though. I've had some of the Brymen test leads on order since December 9th and they haven't left Hong Kong yet. 
I'm sure I'll get them eventually, I'm just disappointed as to how long they take to get to me. I've ordered stuff from Banggood that takes half the time. 

[GreyWoolfe]

You need to be very patient though. I've had some of the Brymen test leads on order since December 9th and they haven't left Hong Kong yet. 
I'm sure I'll get them eventually, I'm just disappointed as to how long they take to get to me. I've ordered stuff from Banggood that takes half the time. 

That is surprising.  I have ordered 2 sets at 2 different times and they arrived pretty quickly.  I wonder if Frankie stepping aside and letting his brother run the business has anything to do with it.  As for Banggood, I ordered an Aneng AN8009 on black Friday and it just arrived yesterday.  Go figure.

[stj]

to clarify,

the fuses are only used when in current mode.
and the maximum voltage when reading current is 36vdc / 25vac.
so the fuses are fine unless you intend to ignore the specs in the manual.
too slow maybe, but you wont get a 10mm arc-over at 36v afaik.

[Fungus]

to clarify,

the fuses are only used when in current mode.
and the maximum voltage when reading current is 36vdc / 25vac.
so the fuses are fine unless you intend to ignore the specs in the manual.

To clarify,

If you're going to do everything perfectly then the fuses aren't needed at all.

The fuses are there for when you make a mistake and/or when the device under test is putting out an unknown voltage (which is why you're poking at it with a multimeter).

[MWisBest]

Where are they getting some of these components in this thing? Rubycon YXA caps, an ICL8069 voltage reference? Jeez, is it the 90s again? 

[bitseeker]

You might not want to know.

[MWisBest]

You might not want to know.

Lol, yeah. Anywho, mine did finally get here, just in time for Christmas. I'm really surprised by how small it is, the pictures and stuff really don't do it justice.
(Note: Click on any of these pictures for the hi-res versions.)


Display is nice overall, but the optimal viewing angle is strange. Looking at it from an underneath angle (\---) is gorgeous, but from an angle above it (/---) the contrast degrades. It's certainly not illegible, but not something I saw in the AN8008 review.


The battery compartment has just a tad more space between the springs and negative terminals than I'd prefer, but there's plenty of force on there (for now).


The red "multi-purpose lead" (for the screw-on attachments) had a minor casting issue on the ends, but simple enough to file off. Whatever. I didn't buy it for these leads, however I do find them to be really handy.


On the topic of test leads:

• I noticed that the screw-attachment leads don't pick up as much noise/coupling, despite being longer than the standard test leads. It's much easier to induce noise floating on the mV range by waving around the regular leads than the attachment ones.
• The temperature probe is a big thumbs-down for me! I would really prefer the usual little wire than this weird probe thing. I was tempted to stick this one under my tongue, but who knows what it's really made out of!

As far as I can tell the measurements are well within spec, but I don't have anything to properly compare it to. This blows my old multimeters out of the water. For $20 I think it was definitely worth it, the last time I bought a multimeter something like this would've cost 10 times as much.

I won't post any tear-down photos, lygte-info.dk has that covered pretty good. One thing I noticed from those photos is they (usually) put the value of components on the silkscreen, that's a nice touch. No guessing what a cap is if you ever need to change it, etc.

I will probably whack in some different bypass capacitance like others have done on the AN8008. The old 100uF electrolytic does seem insufficient. I will probably leave the voltage reference alone though.

[ebastler]

Display is nice overall, but the optimal viewing angle is strange. Looking at it from an underneath angle (\---) is gorgeous, but from an angle above it (/---) the contrast degrades.

That's by design, because the designer knew that the little tilting stand is quite useless.
When the meter lies flat on your bench, you will always look at the display from below...

[Fungus]

You might not want to know.

Lol, yeah. Anywho, mine did finally get here, just in time for Christmas. I'm really surprised by how small it is, the pictures and stuff really don't do it justice.

Wait 'til you see the fuses.